Deion Sanders Lit Up Colorado After 31-Point Win — Then Appeared to Speak in Tongues

Deion Sanders raised eyebrows when he opened his postgame press conference after Colorado’s 52-21 win over Weber State by chanting for about 10 seconds before taking questions. Three days later, Coach Prime explained exactly what reporters witnessed: He was bathing in the Holy Spirit because he'd just finished lighting up his team.

"I had just come from addressing the team, and I lit them up, so I had to calm down," Sanders said, according to Us Weekly. "And the only way I know how to calm down is to pray in the spirit."

The final score suggested Colorado had little reason to be angry. The Buffaloes handled Weber State by 31 points on Sept. 12, but Sanders wasn't satisfied with how his team played. By the time he reached the podium, he said he needed to bring himself down before speaking publicly.

"So, you know, it's not a gimmick. There's not a 'look at me.' No. No. That's real," Sanders said.

The practice is commonly known as speaking in tongues, or glossolalia, and is associated particularly with Pentecostal and charismatic Christian traditions. It generally involves prayer through speech-like sounds or words that aren't recognizable as a conventional language.

Interpretations of the practice vary widely across Christian denominations, with some seeing it as a gift of the Holy Spirit.

For Sanders, however, the moment wasn't new.

"That's what I do," he said. "And I've done that everywhere I've been. And we've got evidence. So there's no game. There's no gimmick."

Sanders also said he has prayed the same way before undergoing surgeries. The 59-year-old battled bladder cancer in 2025 and underwent extensive treatment before returning to Colorado. He later faced additional complications involving blood clots that required further procedures.

His faith was a consistent part of how he publicly discussed those health battles. Earlier this year, while addressing his cancer journey, Sanders said he believed sharing what happened to him could help other people facing their own difficult circumstances.

"God ain't built me to hide nothing," Sanders said at the time. "God built me to disclose everything so I could help others."

That same openness has increasingly extended into Sanders' life away from Colorado. Girlfriend Karrueche Tran supported him through his health problems, including hospital stays and surgeries, and the two have since become more public about their relationship.

Sanders has credited Tran with keeping him positive during his recovery, while Tran has said she chose to stay by his side when he offered her the chance to walk away.

Meanwhile, on the gridiron, Colorado is 2-0 entering its Sept. 19 road game against Northwestern, a significant turnaround after last season's 3-9 finish put renewed pressure on Sanders and his program. A 31-point victory still wasn't enough to spare his players from an angry postgame address.

Sanders simply made sure he prayed before giving everybody else the cleaned-up version.

"I love the Lord with all my heart, and I'm not scared to speak it in front of anybody, anywhere, at any time," he said. "But it's not a planned type of thing."